'The Lost Village: A Novel' by Camilla Sten is a mystery/ thriller but not horror. The premise is great the execution is fine..

This book gave me Shelly Jackson vibes with it's atmospheric and foreboding details.
The duel timeline narration kept me interested and suspensefully drove the stories forward. The ending wasn't my favorite but this was a classic "scary story"

This book feels like starting a quick hike into the woods, but slowly feeling more dread and confusion as you get deeper into your walk. Just like the characters in this story, you are starting to realize that maybe this little excursion has shadows and secrets that you didn't anticipate.

A small documentary film crew treks into the abandoned Swedish mining town of Silvertjarn to cover the unsolved mystery of how the mining town was discovered abruptly deserted save a bludgeoned corpse tied up on the main square and a baby left alone in one of the buildings. Two visiting men find this disturbing and confounding situation and no investigation has yielded any plausible results since. In present day, each member of the film crew has reasons for being there which is slowly unraveled throughout the story in interactions with each other and events that happen in the plot. Some have ties to the town, some have ties to each other. Either way, these ties cause all of the characters and the reader to have abounding suspicions. With an incredibly atmospheric and unnerving setting, this story is in effect a sort of locked room mystery rooted in horror.

The story flashes in between the current documentary film crew's experiences in the town and the perspective of a mother and daughter who lived in Silvertjarn during the time period the residents disappeared. While you can rather easily surmise in the flashback perspective who the catalyst for the mystery of the story is going to be, the how and the why and the what about the present day happenings will keep you reeled in to the plot. This book really has one of those wonderful atmospheres that creeps off the page and makes the story. The characters were fleshed out enough to inform the story but not enough to ruin the mystique of the events.

I give this book four of out of five stars. The setting is ominous, the characters are a solid support to the horror and mystery of the unfolding events, the atmosphere was dreadfully perfect. More suspense and dread than action horror. If you want a great atmospheric horror read that pulls you into the fog without having to keep notes on the mindboggling plot or character details, this is a read for you.

Had a hard time getting into the book at first, definitely a slow start for me. Once I was into it ...it was creepy and dark!

Finished reading The Lost Village late last night and was grateful for my little comfort cat because my heart was racing. This was a masterfully atmospheric read—the setting was essentially a (verrrrrry creepy) character in itself. The title is in reference to a remote Swedish ghost town, whose residents vanished without a trace, leaving behind all their possessions, never to be heard from again. The protagonist, Alice, is an aspiring filmmaker with familial ties to the village—her grandmother grew up there but married and moved away prior to the vanishing. Alice and her small team set up camp among the crumbling buildings and overgrown paths, only to suspect that they might not be alone after all—and their objective begins to shift from capturing the perfect shots to getting out alive.

Weaving back and forth from the weeks before the disappearance to the present day, this story kept me guessing—and thoroughly creeped out. Can’t wait to see more from Camilla Sten!

The Lost Village is a creepy and atmospheric suspense novel set in an abandoned and isolated village in Silvertjärn, Sweden. This book is compared a lot to The Blair Witch Project and for good reason. Both are about documentary crews who are in the middle of nowhere and are trying to uncover the truth of a local mystery. This is a dual timeline story where we are following a woman back in the 1950’s and we get to see from her perspective the events that led to the abandonment of the town. The bulk of the story though, is told from our current day protagonist, Alice, who has put together a documentary crew to do the ground work for potential investors to eventually make a full documentary about what happened in Silvertjärn. Beyond being a bizarre story in Swedish history, Alice is also enthralled by Silvertjärn because her Grandmother used to live there and had just moved away when things started to turn sinister. Her Grandmother’s family were among the missing residents that have never been found and Alive grew up hearing stories of them. Compounded with the intrigue of trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the residents of Silvertjärn, there is also a lot of drama and history between the five members of the documentary crew.

The mystery of what happened to all the people living in Silvertjärn is what propels this story forward but at its core this is a character driven story about the choices people make and the things they believe in. My favorite thing about this book is that I was never sure where Sten was going with this story. Everything feels so eerie and unsettling, both with the setting and with the characters in both timelines. Sten did a masterful job of taking all these tendrils of story and weaving into one surprising and unnerving ending.

As a lover of everything thriller, horror and suspense this book totally hit the mark for me. I vividly felt that I was there with the characters and I adored all the creepy and insidious elements. Because of that I really took my time reading this to fully immerse myself in everything that Sten had to offer. If you are looking for a book that has both a creepy atmosphere and a compelling mystery along with unnerving elements than this is the book to pick up.

This book was very interesting and fast-paced, the author held my attention and the plot was very appealing. I would recommend this book to friends.

Dark, suspenseful, exciting, devourable read set in an isolated, lost Scandinavian village.
The story follows two timeliness - one through letters, one via the experiences of a group of aspiring filmmakers trying to uncover the mystery of an entire village full of people going missing.
The setting is vivid and creepy, the atmosphere positively ghastly, the glimpses of the past completely fascinating. I had a great time reading this story and can't wait for Camilla Sten's next one!

This book is a definite page-turner that moves along at an appropriate pace and the author did a fantastic job at world-building. I would have liked a little more character development and I was a little disappointed with how the plot played out at the end. Overall, a super creepy read with definite ‘Blair Witch meets Midsommar’ vibes!

In this atmospheric Swedish thriller that's reminiscent of Blair Witch, Midsommar, and Midnight Mass; a group of friends travels to an abandoned village to document its history.

This definitely had a slow burn, but overall, I think <u>The Lost Village</u> was perfectly creepy. The only thing that really got me was some of the inconsistencies throughout the novel, particularly in regards to character descriptions. They weren't super detrimental to the story but they just irked me (the pastor's eyes being compared to another character's even though his are "a cold gray" and hers are "an emerald green", or someone's hair being described as "light and fair" and then suddenly it's "dark and thick"). I don't think this was the most well-written or original thriller I've read as of late, but it was definitely entertaining and worth the read!

This one is a creepy good time! This one had me checking the locks on my door. Don't read it at night!

Thank you Netgalley for my gifted ARC!
As soon as I read the synopsis of this, I knew I was going to love it!! I had no idea where it was going half of the time and the way the chapters switched between present time and 60 years ago was gripping!!!! This village story was super creepy and gave me the chills! Definitely don't read in the dark lol. Overall this perfect horror book was just what I needed to get me out of my reading slump. Even though I wanted more answers from the ending and was left a little unsettles, I enjoyed the spooky story!

The premise of The Lost Village is amazing and I was really looking forward to reading it. It just didn't live up to the (my) hype, unfortunately.

In 1959, an entire Swedish town just disappears. Sixty years later and a film crew is making a documentary about it. No actual filmmaking occurred though – which was an aspect I was excited about.

I never felt connected to any of the characters. In fact, I don't feel like any of them were ever fleshed out completely.

This wasn't a bad book, just not something I would read again or go out of my way to recommend.

I enjoyed the overall story and creepy vibe of the abandoned town setting. Slightly predictable but still fun and engaging.

Alice has been obsessed with a small abandoned Swedish mining town her whole life, “The Lost Village.” One day in 1959, all the inhabitants disappeared except her grandmother who was out-of-town and a small, abandoned baby. Despite multiple investigations over the year, no one has determined where the residents went and why. Alice is leading her crew to film a documentary, get initial shots and marketing materials for their documentary, and solve the mystery. It becomes quickly apparent that they are not the only ones in this village.

Three words to describe this book: Gothic. Atmospheric. Creepy.

Cover: Super creepy. The cover matched the vibe of the book.

Character Development: Alice is a developed character, and the story provides background around her mental health and how that has impacted her past friendships and relationships. I did feel like the context of the relationships of her crew members are missing. I wanted more on why these folks agreed to go to an abandoned village, on a shoestring budget to help their friend Alice.

World-Building: Fantastic. I love creepy, spooky, terrifying books and this book gave me goosebumps. The author does an excellent job describing the town and I felt like I could see this world. If you like gothic vibes, you will like this book.

Plot & Pacing: This book is billed as a cross between Blair Witch and Midsomer. I would say that the book does not live up to this comparison. I found the plot and the explanation for the disappearances to be a bit too simplistic and I wanted more complexity. I wanted the plot to match the atmosphere of the world. The pacing was uneven throughout the book, especially in the first half. The second half clips along at a steady pace.

Verdict: I loved the creepy vibe of this book, but I was a bit disappointed by the plot and lack of character development. I would recommend this book if you are new or want to sample a gothic mystery/horror genre. This book is also great for folks who want something creepy without tons of gore.

ARC was provided to me by St. Martin’s Press, in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #TheLostVillageBook

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten was just wow! I found this to be an interesting story with enough unexpected twists to keep my interest. The setting of this story is creepy and will definitely have the reader immersed in the story. I recommend to anyone who enjoys a good creepy thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I could not really get invested in this book. I had a hard time believing that Alice would be filming and choose the crew she did, I didn't care for the characters, and just couldn't get myself involved in the creepy factor. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

Camilla Sten has a deft hand when it comes to writing: I think she does a great job of evoking an atmosphere and showing just how spooky things are without letting it eat away at the pacing of the book. There are several instances where our cast is just sitting and waiting, but the tension is still taut and suspenseful. Even the quietest moments feel haunted, as though someone is watching...

The only thing I struggled with in this particular novel is the ending. I won't spoil anything for you, particularly because I don't think the ending is unearned, but it came to a point where it could take its penultimate twist in one of two directions, and I was really really hoping for the other direction. I think it would have made the book, for me as a reader, more satisfying.

Even though this one wasn't my favourite, I'm excited to pick up Sten's work in the future.

In 1959, the entire population of a small, remote village in Sweden vanished without a trace. The disappearance of nearly 900 people caught worldwide attention, and though there were many theories, no one discovered the truth behind the phenomenon. Unfinished coffee still sat on the kitchen counter. Clothes still hung to dry on lines. And the bloody, mutilated corpse of Birgitta was still tied to a pole in the town square...

Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing since childhood. Though she didn't reside there at the time, her grandmother was born and raised in Silvertjärn, and on that fateful day, she lost everything. Her mother, father, sister, and friends were simply...gone. After her grandma's sudden death, Alice, with the help of a few friends, travels to the lost village, determined more than ever the uncover the horrifying truth of what happened nearly sixty years ago.

Told in dual timelines, The Lost Village offers both a glimpse at life in the late 50s and the present day research into what caused the disappearance. From the first page, the reader is greeted with an ominous, eerie setting. The abandoned, remote village, surrounded only by forest and river, is downright creepy, with decrepit buildings that look like time capsules. It is clear that the townspeople did not simply move away, because everything was left behind. They seemed to just...vanish. The desire to know why made the story utterly compelling.

I am fascinated by the human condition and representing that thematically is one of Sten's writing strengths. In The Lost Village, she tackles mental health, developmental disorders, mass hysteria, and sexual assault. (T.W.: The latter is not explicitly described. The actual act occurs off the page.) Sten also writes about human mentality, and our perverse, almost innate, desire to blindly follow spiritual leaders. In this aspect, the book truly shines.

While I was able to predict the twists and reason behind the disappearance, I still rate this book as an unputdownable read, because the story itself is quite powerful. This book isn't about the thrill; it isn't about making sure there are enough red herrings to surprise the reader. What makes it a powerful read is what happened to the people of Silvertjärn and HOW it happened to them.

The Lost Village is an excellent starting novel for those interested in Scandinavian crime fiction. It is also a good read for anyone interested in suspense or light horror. Fans of fictionalized documentary series, similar to The Blair Witch Project, or true crime will likely enjoy this one. But keep in mind, although its themes are very much based on real world happenings, The Lost Village is not technically true crime.

"The Lost Village" is a thriller written by Camilla Sten. The main protagonist, Alice Lindstedt, is a filmmaker who is creating a documentary about a "lost village" whose occupants keep vanishing. Having heard about it her whole life, Alice now wants to get to the bottom of what is happening to these people. Along the way, strange things begin to happen to her and her team.

I didn't really enjoy this book, as I felt it was unnecessarily gory and grotesque. However, I am thankful to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.